By Oladele Adewole
In Nigeria, when illegality is allowed to linger unchallenged, it quickly becomes “unwritten law.”

The imposition of a sole administrator on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, BCOS, is one such illegality. It has become a habit with successive governors, with no justifiable reason.

The law is clear: BCOS should be headed by a General Manager and Heads of Departments — collectively called Management. The law also provides for a Board of Directors to oversee the corporation and report to government. The Board is not meant to run day-to-day operations. It meets periodically to review performance and give direction.

But successive governments have taken pleasure in circumventing this provision. They impose a sole administrator who wields the powers of both Management and Board. Since this practice began, the fortune of the corporation has only dwindled.

Of course, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Under a sole administrator, the General Manager is reduced to little more than a glorified messenger. He knows nothing about the policies or workings of the station. His job is reduced to signing documents — some of which can land him in prison. He has no knowledge of the financial state of the organization, nor any say in how money is raised or spent.

Lovers of BCOS must be ready to challenge any fresh attempt to impose a sole administrator. Any governor who tries this after the present administration should prepare for litigation at the Industrial Court. Thank God, learned silk Femi Falana has pledged to take such a brief pro bono.
Things work better when the two offices are separated, as the state law provides. Let BCOS breathe.

BCOS: From Pride of the Nation to a Shadow of Itself
Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, BCOS, has never been this bad — not even under military rule. The institution that once set the standard for broadcast excellence in Nigeria now struggles to stay alive. Great talents who once drew millions of listeners and viewers have been frustrated out of the system. Their voices, their creativity, their loyalty — all wasted by a structure that rewards silence over service.

Today, many of those still working inside BCOS/Radio O-Y-O have no clear employment status. No security. No career path. Just uncertainty. A corporation that was once the pride of all, a center of excellence that trained and produced broadcasters for the entire country, is now a mere shadow of itself — moribund, underfunded, and directionless.

This is what happens when you merge power meant for two offices into one hand. When accountability dies, excellence dies with it. 
BCOS did not fall by accident. It was dismantled, one illegal appointment at a time. If we truly love the station, we must demand that the law be obeyed. Management must manage. The Board must board. Anything less is the slow death of a legacy.